Instagram Removes Same-Sex Kiss Photo, Apologizes

Instagram recently removed a photo and some say it’s because it was an image of two men kissing, Gay Star News reports.

Alberto Guzman posted a pic of him and his husband, Janeiro Boffill, from their wedding day 13 years ago to celebrate Pride on June 29. The image included the hashtags #happy #gaypride #equalrights #tilldeathdousapart and #wearethesame.

The pro-gay message didn’t stop Instagram users from flagging the photo as "inappropriate," however and it was later removed by the picture-sharing social media app.

According to Instagram’s community guidelines, users are not allowed to share images that show nudity or mature content.

"I posted this photo of my wedding yesterday and Instagram took it off my album for being ’inappropiate’ [sic] and on gay pride day of all days," Guzman wrote on his Instagram account.

Guzman’s friends commented, protest Instagram’s decision to delete the photo with one saying: "These are my friends @titoguhair and @janeirobofillmakeup. They posted this pic yesterday on Instagram. They’ve been together 13 years and are legally married for 2 months. This is the kiss that sealed their wedding vows. Vows that under state and federal protection offer them 1500 rights and responsibilities. @instagram we expect an apology for taking this pic down and flagging it as inappropriate. PLEASE REPOST PLEASE REPOST PLEASE REPOST! #thisisgaypride #instagram #equalrights #nothingmorenothingless #equality"

Instagram officials apologized for removing the photo, however, and have since put the image back online.

"When our team processes reports from other members of the Instagram community, we occasionally make a mistake," an Instagram spokesperson told The Huffington Post Tuesday. "In this case, we wrongly removed content and rectified the error as soon as we were notified. We apologize for any inconvenience."

Comments

Anonymous, 2014-07-03 18:42:50

So, I complained to FB about a video alluding to a man having sex with a (crying, highly distressed) dog and asked them to remove it. FB refused and said they did not find it offensive. But wait!! Two adult guys kissing is offensive?? Who knew.

Wayne Madden, 2014-07-04 21:27:29

Apologize FOR WHAT?! There is nothing offensive about two people showing respectful and honest love and care for each other - or would those who complained prefer to have more pictures of the violence in various parts of the world such as the middle east, Iraq, Nigeria... ?

Leave it to a six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald to add some major theatrics to the scene playing out over social media in response to Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's signing of a "license to discriminate" bill Thursday.